Reflecting optical objective system



Patented Dec. 28, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFLECTING OPTICAL OBJECTIVE SYSTEM Clifford W. Martin, Denver, Colo. Application December 22, 1947, Serial No. 3,146

2 Claims. (or 88-57 I 1 This invention relates to a reflecting optical system for use as an optical objective for various purposes, including photographic equipment,

light projection devices, microscopes, and telescopes.

Such objectives have hitherto usually consisted of a system of refracting lenses, and

serious diillculties have consequently arisen inv achieving any reflned correction of chromatic aberration.

The use of reflecting surfaces avoids such difflculties, and the present invention has for its object to provide a highly efilcient objective in which the optical power is supplied exclusively by reflecting surfaces.

Another object of the invention is to provide an optical system of the reflecting type which will give greater light-transmitting efficiency than a lens of the same diameter, and which will focus the rays without chromatic aberration and with a minimum of spherical aberration.

A further object is to provide a reflecting optical system in which the rays will be maintained about a common optical axis so as to eliminate any angular or side reflection such as is usually employed in reflecting telescopes and the like,

and to obtain a greater depth of focus for a given aperture than has heretofore been possible.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efficiency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

I Fig. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the improved reflecting optical system;

Fig. 2 is a rear view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section, taken on the line I-i,

Fig. 1, illustrating the paths of typical light rays through the system;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of the formula employed for obtaining the curvature of one of the reflecting surfaces employed in the improved system; and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of the formula of Fig. 4, worked out for a focal length In the drawing, only the essential optical ele- -ments are illustrated. All supporting structures and enclosures have been eliminated for the sake of clarity.

The improved optical system employs an outer, annular, inclined, reflecting surface ill and an inner reflecting surface ll positioned concentrically within the annulus of the outer surface ii. The two surfaces iii and II, or either of them, may be formed on solid glass blocks, such as indicated at It and I4, respectively, in Fig. 3, although the solid blocks are not necessary, since only the surfaces thereof are employed in the improved system.

The surface ill is inclined on a conical angle, preferably of 45". Any radial out section through the reflecting surface it will present a straight line. The surface li 'is g'enerally conical, and might best be described as concave-conical. Any radial cut through ,the surface II will present a curved line determined by a mathematical formula based upon the focal length desired.

The formula;- for the concave. curvature of the surface II is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 4, the focal point being indicated at H and the optical axis atri B. Let us assume that it is desired topscertaln the radius (Y) of any-circular irustrum such as (1-4:. The following formula is used:

in which X is the focal length desired and m is the distance from the apex of the surface H along the optical axis to the given circular plane w-b.

As an example, let us ass e that the curvature of the surface it is desired for a focal length of 2" and a depth or thickness of 1". Three planes are selected, a-b, a b and a -b", spaced from each other and V4" from'the apex and the base of the surface ll.

Solving for the plane a-b, thus,

we obtain the radius .265'..

Solving similarly for the planes (1 -42 and a -b we obtain the radii .562" and .890", respectively. Solving for the base radius, we obtain 1125" or a diameter of 2.50".

For the most efflcient light gathering, the diameter of the smaller opening in the block l3, or in other words, the smaller diameter of the surface ill should equal the diameter of the base of the block [4, that is, the diameter of the surface II. The two blocks should be equal in thickness, since any excess thickness of one over the other would be of no value, and any decrease in thickness would result in light loss.

Therefore, in the above example we obtain an inner diameter of 2.50" for the surface II and.

since it inclines at 45 for a thickness of 1", we obtain an outer diameter of 4.50". In other words, the diameter of the block it will be the diameter of the block l4 plus twice the thickness of the latter. Thus, the above formula determines not only the contour of the surface Ii, but the diameter of the entire optical unit.

The formula can be continued for beyond the base plane of Fig. 5, thus increasing the thickness and the diameter of both surfaces for the same focal distance. I

The formula can be solved for an infinite number of parallel circular planes between the base and the apex to produce the perfect curve for the surface Ii, and can be similarly solved for any desired focal length by substituting the given focal length for X.

When used for receiving and focusing light from infinity at the focal point If, the parallel rays willstrike the surface II in.a cylindrical annulus. These rays will be reflected by the.'

surface i parallel to the surface planes of .the blocks l2 and I l and against the concave-conical surface II, from which they will be reflecte and concentrated at the focal point if.

When used to project light from the focal point 12, as would be the case in headlights,

spotlights, or microscopes, the rays will emanate from the point If to the concave-conical surface I I, from which they .will be reflected in parallel circular planes against the 45 surface ill, from perfectly parwhence they are again reflected in allel relation. a

For spotlighting purposes and the like, the focal point I! may be-moved further away from the surface H, to bring the reflected rays 'to a perfect focus atany desired'distance.

With a system of} the dimensions described in the above example having an outer diameter'of 4.50 inches and a thickness of I'lnch there is an exposed area to the incoming light rays of approximately 11 square inches. This is equal in area to a refracting lens of 3.75 inches in diameter. Bucha lens, however, would be sub- Ject to losses in transmission which are entirely absent in the improved system.. To offset these losses, the diameter of the refracting lens would necessarily have to be increased to approach a 4" diameter. This excessively large diameter would, of: course, greatly decrease the depth of focus of the lens, whereas in applicant's system the depth of focus is only dependent on the diameter of the surface H, which in the given instance is 2.50 inches. Since there is noprismatic effect in this improved reflecting system, all-chromatic aberration is entirely eliminated and an increase in'efllciency is obtained from i this cause alone.

While the invention has been described as particularly applicable to the focusing" of light rays, it will operate equally for focusing any other type of ray surfaces.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated'herein, it is dewhich can reflected from Number 4 sired to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims. tvgivithout departing from the spirit of the inven- Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A ray focusing system comprising: an annular, conical, truncated, inside reflecting surface; a second concave-conical, outside reflectin: surface positioned concentrically within the annulus of, and in the plane of, the first reflecting surface, with its apex directed toward the smaller diameter of the first surface, the largest diameter of the second surface being substantially equal to the smallest diameter of the first surface, the projected width of both surfaces on the optical axis being substantially equal, the diameter of the second surface exceeding twice its width on said optical axis, any radial cut section through said second surface presenting a curved line; and any radial cut section through said first surface presenting a straight line, the radius of any plane through said second surface perpendicular to the optical axis being equal to Y in the following formula:

in which X" is the focal length desired and m" is the distance from the apex of the second reflecting surface along the optical axis to said in which "X is the focal length desired and m is the distance from the apex of the second reflecting surface along the optical axis to said plane.

. CLIFFORD. W. MARTIN.

' REFERENCES crrEn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Anthony Nov. 21, 1905 Ott Apr. 23,1940 Warmisham July 31, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1909 Austria May 11, 1934 Number 

